BA (Hons) Military History

This module will investigate the evolution of the concept of just war and just war theory through the practical application of the ethics of war to a broad range of historical case studies drawn from the medieval to the modern world. Consideration will be given to the social, cultural and political dimensions of ethical decision-making in relation to war and combat at a national, institutional and personal level. The role of combatants and non-combatants will be examined through which students will identify and assess the connections between law, politics, and religion. The module will also address aspects of post-conflict reconciliation, commemoration and memorialisation.

This module will explore the changing character and function of European armies and navies during the period 1750 to 1914. The module will consider the development of regimental and naval organisational structures, issues of command and communications, battle strategies and technological developments. The varying approaches taken by governments to the administration of armed forces during periods of war and peace will also be critically reviewed. The specific issues of authority, class, gender, technology and race will be examined through the close analysis of sources with the aim of developing particular research skills.

This module will explore the concept of ‘invented histories’: attempts in a variety of popular media to assemble, rearrange, supplement, manipulate, craft, and ultimately invent new narratives about what happened in the past. It will examine a series of case studies across a range of themes: social, political and military. These can be drawn from any time period: ancient to modern and from any region, country or continent.

Through a wide-ranging social historical approach, this module will advance your knowledge and understanding of the history of the civilian wartime experience in Britain during the Second World War. The module will consider the administrative and bureaucratic structures put in place to manage wartime life and the social response to this. Everyday concerns will be reviewed, such as news and censorship, home defence, food supply, housing, education and coping with death. A particular focus will be a consideration of gendered responses to war both among the civilian population and within those service organisations that recruited women.

This module comprises a work-based placement experience or employment related project, combined with a study of the principles and practice of using and applying historical knowledge and training in the public sphere. The taught element of the module will provide you with the necessary skills to identify and apply for potential employment opportunities and develop your knowledge and understanding of application and interview processes. You will also engage in a critical review of the contemporary manifestations of history/military history in public and private sectors. You will be be given the methodological and theoretical tools to account for the complex and often contested nature of academic and public understandings of the past. Additionally, you will be challenged to consider the issues raised when historical knowledge and methods are applied to workplace contexts. The placement element of the module will support you as you apply your acquired knowledge and skills in a real-life context offering a valuable experience to draw on when you present yourself to employers or selectors upon graduation. The module is designed to enable a range of placements and/or projects to be developed which are most suited to your potential future career. Approved placement hosts are often, though not exclusively, positioned within the heritage, armed forces and education sectors. Working with your appointed tutor and placement providor, you will be directed towards an appropriate placement/project enabling you to both meet the learning outcomes and have a valuable experience that captures the challenges and rewards of using historical knowledge and skills in a work-based learning environment.

In this module you will explore the nature of armoured warfare during the Second World War. You will examine the rise of the tank during the First World War and the development of theories and doctrines of armoured warfare across different nations during the interwar period. The work of key theorists such as JFC Fuller and Basil Liddell Hart will be examined as well as how theory was applied to the battlefields of the Second World War. You will explore the major operations of the Second World War across a range of theatres. You will critically assess the use of armour in campaigns such as the German invasions of France and the Soviet Union, the British in the North Africa, and the war in the Pacific. In addition to the evolution of tactics, you will also consider aspects of the training of tank crews and their experiences in battle.

This module provides you with an understanding of the causes and conduct of counterinsurgency operations and how different nations have confronted insurgencies. You will be introduced to key cases studies ranging from the American Civil War, 19th century ‘small wars’ such as the Second Anglo-Boer War to Cold War conflicts such as the Malayan Emergency and Afghanistan. The learning process and challenges faced by militaries when trying to adapt to fighting irregular and counterinsurgency warfare is a key focus. You will explore and critically assess key concepts relating to counterinsurgency operations as well as the development of theories and doctrines relating to ‘irregular war’ from the colonial to the contemporary world. The links between insurgencies, nationalism, and revolution will be considered as well as the strategic and ethical issues arising from irregular warfare.

This module will engage you in a long view of the history of magic, witchcraft and folklore. The module will begin by surveying the complex relationship between religion, health, miracles and magic during the later medieval period. It will then examine the subsequent development across early modern Europe of a culture of witchcraft persecution and prosecution, which will be considered through the lens of fear, often exacerbated by social status and/or gender. You will finally be tasked to evidence, explain and challenge the meta-narrative for the apparent decline in belief in a witch cult from the 18th century onwards. You will critically examine evidence for the persistence of pagan and magical beliefs as well as the development of folklore and fairy stories into the ‘modern’, ‘enlightened’ age. You will be exposed to relevant primary and secondary material in order to engage fully with the case studies and historical sweep of the module, and will be expected to critically explain and defend your interpretations. A parallel strand running throughout will be critical analysis of the trajectory of historiographical debate associated with the history of magic and, in particular, witchcraft and paganism.

This module surveys the major political, social, military, economic and cultural changes that accompanied the period from the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire to the rise of the Vikings. It focuses on the end of Roman rule in the West and the recent debates about cataclysmic collapse before turning attention to the ‘birth’ of early medieval Europe. You will be encouraged to critically review the evidence for political, social, military, economic and cultural change during this period and consider the varied and contested interpretations placed upon such evidence. The module will consider different historiographical and methodological approaches, as appropriate, and you will learn how to apply these to research and analysis of aspects of this period of history. In particular the module will explore the wealth of available evidence that counters the established characterisation of this period of history as the ‘Dark Ages’and particular consideration will be given to the place of Britain within the networks of power, commerce and religion that developed across western Europe at this time. You will examine the violent rise of post-Roman kingdoms as well as the spread of Christianity and Islam. You will look at how trade initially declinedand the role of Vikings in its revival, and will examine the origins of early modern European states and the legacies of Rome into the early medieval period.

On this module you will explore modern urban history from the global to the regional and local levels. Content is organised thematically, enabling you to engage with historiographical debates and theoretical approaches to the modern city with case studies drawn from every continent. The chronological focus is on cities of the modern age (broadly post-1800). However, the module will include discussion of pre-modern cities (e.g. ancient Greece and Rome), tracing their lineage into the modern period from bustling Victorian industrial cities, coastal conurbations and imperial ports, to twentieth-century skyscrapers and megacities. You will analyse changes in the form and function of urban spaces and explore the profound demographic, architectural, environmental, social, cultural and political changes that took place in these urban spaces and contributed to the very concept of ‘modernity’. On this module you will gain understanding of the urban sphere beyond Britain, taking a comparative approach to a wide variety of case studies and engaging with recent research by urban historians outside the Anglosphere, including India and China. Close reading and discussion of theoretical texts and historiographical debate will be combined with primary source research in physical and digital formats.

This module will engage you in an in-depth assessment of life in Britain during the twenty-year period between the First and Second World Wars. The overarching theme of the module reflects the perennial historiographical debate on whether these years are best seen through a pessimistic lens of political crisis and economic decline, or more positively via a focus on social opportunity and cultural vibrancy.

You will engage in critical discussion of interwar politics, debating issues such as: the rise of the Labour Party, Conservative electoral dominance, the failure of political extremism in the British context and the beginning of the end of Empire. Unemployment and economic challenges will also be covered, alongside the rise of consumerism, home ownership and the growth of leisure activities. Social and cultural change will be examined through a variety of issues such as the experience of women, the decline of the aristocracy and the impact of the wider world upon Britain: for example, the popularity of American jazz music and cinema. The shadow of war will be a key theme throughout, be it the economic and social consequences of the First World War, or international tensions coming out of it that culminated in the 1930s.

You will engage with a range of primary source material, including novels, autobiographies, contemporaneous journalism, oral histories, newsreels and film and will be expected to engage in and frame your interpretations utilising key, recent historiography.

This module will engage you in a wide-ranging study of the Atlantic World in the early modern period with a particular focus on the 17th and 18th centuries. Through a critical review of secondary texts and a variety of primary source material you will analyse the political, economic, technological, social and cultural history of the Atlantic World, with a particular focus on the ‘Anglophone Atlantic’, its origins, growth and contact with European empires and indigenous peoples in the Americas and Africa. You will engage with historiographical debates concerning the character of the ‘Atlantic World’ with its competing empires and entities and consider whether this is a useful concept for understanding this period of history. Key themes to be explored include: the importance of the trade in goods and the movement of people, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade; the significance of conflict and co-operation between states, sub-state groups and individuals; the importance of identities and how they changed as a result of the Atlantic experience; and the role of science, knowledge and communication in the Atlantic World.

In this module you will explore the nature of armoured warfare during the Second World War. You will examine the rise of the tank during the First World War and the development of theories and doctrines of armoured warfare across different nations during the interwar period. The work of key theorists such as JFC Fuller and Basil Liddell Hart will be examined as well as how theory was applied to the battlefields of the Second World War.

You will explore the major operations of the Second World War across a range of theatres. You will critically assess the use of armour in campaigns such as the German invasions of France and the Soviet Union, the British in the North Africa, and the war in the Pacific. In addition to the evolution of tactics, you will also consider aspects of the training of tank crews and their experiences in battle.

This module provides you with an understanding of the causes and conduct of counterinsurgency operations and how different nations have confronted insurgencies. You will be introduced to key cases studies ranging from the American Civil War, 19th century ‘small wars’ such as the Second Anglo-Boer War to Cold War conflicts such as the Malayan Emergency and Afghanistan. The learning process and challenges faced by militaries when trying to adapt to fighting irregular and counterinsurgency warfare is a key focus.

You will explore and critically assess key concepts relating to counterinsurgency operations as well as the development of theories and doctrines relating to ‘irregular war’ from the colonial to the contemporary world. The links between insurgencies, nationalism, and revolution will be considered as well as the strategic and ethical issues arising from irregular warfare.

This module will engage you in a long view of the history of magic, witchcraft and folklore. The module will begin by surveying the complex relationship between religion, health, miracles and magic during the later medieval period. It will then examine the subsequent development across early modern Europe of a culture of witchcraft persecution and prosecution, which will be considered through the lens of fear, often exacerbated by social status and/or gender. You will finally be tasked to evidence, explain and challenge the meta-narrative for the apparent decline in belief in a witch cult from the 18th century onwards. You will critically examine evidence for the persistence of pagan and magical beliefs as well as the development of folklore and fairy stories into the ‘modern’, ‘enlightened’ age. You will be exposed to relevant primary and secondary material in order to engage fully with the case studies and historical sweep of the module, and will be expected to critically explain and defend your interpretations. A parallel strand running throughout will be critical analysis of the trajectory of historiographical debate associated with the history of magic and, in particular, witchcraft and paganism.

This module surveys the major political, social, military, economic and cultural changes that accompanied the period from the decline and fall of the Western Roman Empire to the rise of the Vikings. It focuses on the end of Roman rule in the West and the recent debates about cataclysmic collapse before turning attention to the ‘birth’ of early medieval Europe. You will be encouraged to critically review the evidence for political, social, military, economic and cultural change during this period and consider the varied and contested interpretations placed upon such evidence. The module will consider different historiographical and methodological approaches, as appropriate, and you will learn how to apply these to research and analysis of aspects of this period of history. In particular the module will explore the wealth of available evidence that counters the established characterisation of this period of history as the ‘Dark Ages’and particular consideration will be given to the place of Britain within the networks of power, commerce and religion that developed across western Europe at this time. You will examine the violent rise of post-Roman kingdoms as well as the spread of Christianity and Islam. You will look at how trade initially declinedand the role of Vikings in its revival, and will examine the origins of early modern European states and the legacies of Rome into the early medieval period.

On this module you will explore modern urban history from the global to the regional and local levels. Content is organised thematically, enabling you to engage with historiographical debates and theoretical approaches to the modern city with case studies drawn from every continent. The chronological focus is on cities of the modern age (broadly post-1800). However, the module will include discussion of pre-modern cities (e.g. ancient Greece and Rome), tracing their lineage into the modern period from bustling Victorian industrial cities, coastal conurbations and imperial ports, to twentieth-century skyscrapers and megacities. You will analyse changes in the form and function of urban spaces and explore the profound demographic, architectural, environmental, social, cultural and political changes that took place in these urban spaces and contributed to the very concept of ‘modernity’. On this module you will gain understanding of the urban sphere beyond Britain, taking a comparative approach to a wide variety of case studies and engaging with recent research by urban historians outside the Anglosphere, including India and China. Close reading and discussion of theoretical texts and historiographical debate will be combined with primary source research in physical and digital formats.

This module will engage you in an in-depth assessment of life in Britain during the twenty-year period between the First and Second World Wars. The overarching theme of the module reflects the perennial historiographical debate on whether these years are best seen through a pessimistic lens of political crisis and economic decline, or more positively via a focus on social opportunity and cultural vibrancy.

You will engage in critical discussion of interwar politics, debating issues such as: the rise of the Labour Party, Conservative electoral dominance, the failure of political extremism in the British context and the beginning of the end of Empire. Unemployment and economic challenges will also be covered, alongside the rise of consumerism, home ownership and the growth of leisure activities. Social and cultural change will be examined through a variety of issues such as the experience of women, the decline of the aristocracy and the impact of the wider world upon Britain: for example, the popularity of American jazz music and cinema. The shadow of war will be a key theme throughout, be it the economic and social consequences of the First World War, or international tensions coming out of it that culminated in the 1930s.

You will engage with a range of primary source material, including novels, autobiographies, contemporaneous journalism, oral histories, newsreels and film and will be expected to engage in and frame your interpretations utilising key, recent historiography.

This module will engage you in a wide-ranging study of the Atlantic World in the early modern period with a particular focus on the 17th and 18th centuries. Through a critical review of secondary texts and a variety of primary source material you will analyse the political, economic, technological, social and cultural history of the Atlantic World, with a particular focus on the ‘Anglophone Atlantic’, its origins, growth and contact with European empires and indigenous peoples in the Americas and Africa. You will engage with historiographical debates concerning the character of the ‘Atlantic World’ with its competing empires and entities and consider whether this is a useful concept for understanding this period of history. Key themes to be explored include: the importance of the trade in goods and the movement of people, including the trans-Atlantic slave trade; the significance of conflict and co-operation between states, sub-state groups and individuals; the importance of identities and how they changed as a result of the Atlantic experience; and the role of science, knowledge and communication in the Atlantic World.

This module provides you with the opportunity to engage in close, detailed and systematic historical study of a specific theme or topic at an advanced level. Based upon the in-depth critical reading and interpretation of primary and secondary texts, small group teaching will be led by academics whose specialist historical knowledge will be used as a focus for the chosen theme or topic. Seminar and tutorial sessions will explore the chosen subject area through source-based analysis and critical interpretation with, where appropriate, reflection on the contested nature of historiographical debate. The content will include relevant and specific themes or topics that reflect the research specialisms of the academic staff leading each Special Subject group. Normally a range of history and military history topics will be optionally available each academic year that will provide some degree of both thematic and chronological choice. Subject-specific details relating to the syllabus and session structure will be published in advance of delivery via the University’s VLE. The module is designed to support you as you further develop your subject specific research skills at an appropriate level.

During this module you will undertake a wide-ranging critical study of British imperial development during the nineteenth century. The narrative underpinning the module is the increasingly global and expansionist nature of European empires at that time, with Britain in the vanguard of imperialistic, globalising forces. You will examine the impact of British political and military power, money, technology and culture on the peoples, societies and environments it came into contact with. You will likewise analyse the agency of human responses to imperialism through a mixture of adaptation, co-operation and resistance and be introduced to scholarly research on the geographical and environmental signifance of industrialised imperialism. Additionally, the ways in which British society and culture was transformed by the imperial experience will be a crucial point of consideration with its legacies stretching into the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. You will utilise relevant secondary texts and a variety of primary sources in order to understand the most significant political, economic, technological, social and cultural aspects of the imperial experience and engage directly with classic and recent historiographical debates about the nature of the British Empire, its origins, purpose, meaning and legacies.

On this module, you will be required to undertake a research-based project, drawing on academic advice as well as your own interests and intellectual skills, to produce a research-driven, written dissertation of 8-10,000 words. You will conduct your research by addressing self-formulated questions, supported by the critical selection, evaluation and analysis of primary and secondary source material. By these means you will devise and sustain a core argument, and/or solve relevant historical problems, to support the premise of your research question. Taught sessions will help you to explore and understand the research methodologies and issues of presentation required for the production of a successful history dissertation. Through such workshops specific guidance is given with regard to appropriate research skills for the topics chosen. You will then have further individual tutorials spread across both semesters, in which allocated dissertation supervisors will closely monitor and advise on the development of appropriate, distinctive, and critical arguments in respect of your chosen subject of study.

This module provides you with a critical study of the history of the Cold War ‘conflict’ between the US and its allies, and the Soviet Union during the second half of the 20th century. Through a wide-ranging study, based on primary and secondary sources, the module will review the political, diplomatic and social manifestations of the Cold War. A specific element of the module will focus on the foreign relations between the Soviet Union and the United States of America, examining the historiographical debates that surround the origins and the end of the Cold War. Key features such as Soviet and U.S. foreign policy, ‘proxywars’ and the role of secret intelligence alongside events such as the founding of NATO and the Warsaw Pact, Korea and Suez, the Chinese and Cuban Revolutions, Vietnamese and Afghan Wars will be examined. Popular protest movements will also be considered, such as CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) and the Anti-War movement. Key actors, episodes, events and crises will be addressed through an international lens encouraging you to take a global historical view on the issue of when, or indeed if, the Cold War ended. The module will consider relevant historiographical and methodological approaches, and you will learn how to apply these to the research and analysis of aspects of this period of history.

This module examines the historical development of air warfare from the first use of motorised flight during First World War through to the contemporary use of UAVs (unmanned drones). The module considers the impact that having an ‘aerial view’ had on battle field management from the mid-19th century onwards, with the early use of balloons through to the vital role played by aerial photography during the Second World War. The module also reviews the use of aircraft as weapons, either to dominate the 20th century concept of ‘air-power’ or as a means to take war to civilian populations. The organisational challenges of developing a novel fighting force in a new theatre of combat will also be explored.

In this module you will examine the history of military wargaming and the rise of the military-entertainment complex. You will learn how militaries have used wargaming as an educational tool, beginning in the 19th century with Kriegsspiel, and consider the theory and practice of war simulation through a selection of case studies. You will evaluate the importance of wargames in military education and in developing strategic, tactical, and doctrinal solutions to military problems. You will also examine the rise of commercial wargaming and the military-entertainment complex. You will critically assess the representation of war in military themed videogames and films and will reflect the rise of drone and computer controlled weapons, how the line between video games and war has blurred in recent conflicts, as well as the impact of gaming and films in contemporary politics, society, and culture.

This module examines the historical development of air warfare from the first use of motorised flight during First World War through to the contemporary use of UAVs (unmanned drones). The module considers the impact that having an ‘aerial view’ had on battle field management from the mid-19th century onwards, with the early use of balloons through to the vital role played by aerial photography during the Second World War. The module also reviews the use of aircraft as weapons, either to dominate the 20th century concept of ‘air-power’ or as a means to take war to civilian populations. The organisational challenges of developing a novel fighting force in a new theatre of combat will also be explored.

In this module you will examine the history of military wargaming and the rise of the military-entertainment complex. You will learn how militaries have used wargaming as an educational tool, beginning in the 19th century with Kriegsspiel, and consider the theory and practice of war simulation through a selection of case studies. You will evaluate the importance of wargames in military education and in developing strategic, tactical, and doctrinal solutions to military problems. You will also examine the rise of commercial wargaming and the military-entertainment complex. You will critically assess the representation of war in military themed videogames and films and will reflect the rise of drone and computer controlled weapons, how the line between video games and war has blurred in recent conflicts, as well as the impact of gaming and films in contemporary politics, society, and culture.